Fireworks went off high above the Canterlot rooftops, lighting up the sky in a fantastic display. Ponies were seated outside at tables and upon park benches, or simply at home, watching from their living room windows.

For Twilight and Rainbow, they sat watching from their own tower balcony, with a couple of blankets both around themselves, and laid out on the lightly snow-covered surface.

"For auld lang syne, Rainbow," Twilight cheered, smiling. "It's been a fun past few months. Now, let's try and make this one even better."

Twilight turned back to the sky, however Rainbow's attention lingered on her girlfriend as an idea sparked inside her head.

"Be right back, Twi," she said, leaping into the air before Twilight could get a word in edgewise, and diving towards the street below before dashing off into the city.

Seriously, Rainbow...? thought Twilight, an incredulous look written all over her face.

She sighed out deeply, pursing her lips and giving her eyes a roll as she found herself with no choice but to sit and wait for her to return.

And so she did for what ended up being half-a-minute, having—a little impatiently—counted the seconds away in her head before Rainbow came back into view, a couple frothy mugs held securely against her chest.

She grinned meekly back at Twilight, then sat back down beside her, handing over one of the two mugs for her to accept.

Twilight, taken aback at first, leaned forward to take a sniff of the frothy beverage. "Apples?"

"Cider," Rainbow explained. "Buy one, and get a second mug free. Had a couple of spare bits on me and thought, why not?"

Twilight shook her head, blushing as she gently pushed the mug back towards her. "N-no... no, Rainbow, I... You know I don't—"

"Ah come on, Twi," insisted Rainbow with a reassuring, soft grin. "It's just cider." A moment of silence passed between them as Twilight stared back at her skeptically. "Hard cider," she added, not missing a beat.

Twilight bore into her for a moment more before raising an eyebrow. "Are you peer pressuring me, Rainbow?"

Twilight snorted as her gaze faltered and she gave her head a shake, a gentle grin parting her lips. "What the hay, right?" She looked back into Rainbow's eyes. "It is New Year's."

The two clinked mugs, Twilight giggling after noticing the froth on Rainbow's upper lip, the pegasus having took the first drink.

"So, tell me Twi; what are your New Year resolutions?" Rainbow asked her, breaking the silence between them.

Resolutions? Twilight blinked, taken aback. "O-oh! Um..." She meekly scratched her cheek as she thought it over. "I'll admit I haven't really thought about that..." She chuckled nervously just as Rainbow threw a deadpan look back at her. "B-but t-that doesn't mean I don't have any!" she insisted, grinning awkwardly.

"I just... really want to continue being the best student I can possibly be... a-and the best possible girlfriend that I can be to you too, Rainbow, she added, chuckling meekly. "I, uhm... would also like to continue being the friend that I've been to both you and Spike, and... hopefully to be a friend to ponies all across Equestria, as well as... help others who need it. Almost... almost like a..."

Twilight drifted off, looking off into the night and smiling softly at the thought.

Twilight's gaze snapped back to Rainbow, looking at her in stunned silence for a moment before mentally shrugging it off, instead turning the question back at her.

Rainbow's brow raised in surprise. "Mine...?" she uttered softly, shying away slowly as Twilight nodded back at her.

"G-gee, um... okay, w-well one of them's kinda hard to get into without a bit of foreword first, s-so..." Her free hoof dug into her sweatshirt pocket, fishing for something to toy with as she searched for the right words. "I want to show the ponies in Ponyville that there's more to me than just a... boisterous, arrogant jerk, y'know? That... I don't know... there's more to me than... meets the eye?"

Twilight licked some froth from her upper lip before speaking. "If you need any help, I'll vouch for you, Rainbow," she said, giving her a warm smile.

"Thanks, Twi, but... this is something I need to show them." She glanced down into her mug. Somehow...

Twilight nodded. "I understand," she said, following up with a small sigh. "So then... what's your other resolution?"

"R-right, well, ah... you see..." She inhaled a deep breath, before breathing out shakily. "This isn't even all that difficult for me to say, but I can't help but still feel nervous about saying it, and... I'm so thankful for this cider right now because Celestia knows I need the confidence—"

Her ramblings came to a sudden stop, startled by Twilight placing a gentle hoof of hers over her foreleg, giving her all the assurance she needed to continue.

"R-right..." Rainbow flashed her a fast, appreciative smile. "Right. Thanks, Twi."

"We uh, t-talked about this months ago, and even... sorta joked about it too, and, well, months later, I, uh... still want to go through with it and, um... hope you do too."

Twilight all the while stared back at her, when it all suddenly clicked... and it occurred to her what exactly her girlfriend was getting at. Her body temperature rose as her heartbeat quickened, her chest tightened, and her eyes slowly widened before closing suddenly in a wince, instinctively bringing a hoof to her aching head.

"I-it's not like I have any intention of ever leaving this place," continued Rainbow; "and it's not like we're ever going to break up with each other or anything either, but... I, I-I really love you Twi—to the point where I'd gladly put away my wings just so I can always walk beside you because... that's where I want to be forever and always, you know? At your side."

Twilight breathed out softly as the nauseating pain receded as quickly as it had come, and, chalking it up as the winter weather, smiled teasingly at her girlfriend. "Have you been reading romance novels, Rainbow?"

Rainbow looked back at her in surprise, before averting her eyes, her ears flopping in embarrassment. "Come on, Twi... This is hard enough already as is."

"I know that we're young, and that this is probably hasty and foolish of us, but—"

Twilight cut her off, sporting a knowing smile on her lips. "Featherbrain, just ask me to marry you already."

Rainbow blinked, for a moment finding herself at a loss for words. "Alright, Egghead," she replied, snapping out of her stupor and setting her cider aside, unable to stop the smile forming on her lips as she knelt up on her hind legs. "Twilight Sparkle, would you do me the totally awesome honor of marrying—?"

Twilight tackled her to the ground, knocking the air out of her before she had the chance to say another word as Twilight proceeded to wrap her forelegs around Rainbow's upper back and neck... her muzzle deeply nuzzling the crook of her neck.

Rainbow blushed furiously, laying back and staring up at the night sky, and strands of her girlfriend's mane... asking herself what just happened.

A couple moments later and Twilight pulled back just enough to see Rainbow's face, and the surprised blush in her cheeks... and for Rainbow to notice the sudden, teary look in Twilight's own eyes.

Twilight lifted a hoof to dry her eyes, lowering it again to rest upon her mare's chest. "You're so foolish, Rainbow. Asking to marry a pony like me? You know how stressed and persnickety I can get. I mean, hay," she sniffled again, "it'll probably take me a couple of months just to plan everything... and another few just to organize it all!"

"Well..." Rainbow smiled up at her slyly, bringing a hoof up to stroke her cheek and calm her nerves. "We have time; and besides... that only means you're working to make it as awesome as it can possibly be."

Twilight smiled warmly, placing her free hoof over her girlfriend's, lowering her voice as she leaned in. "I'm now engaged to an awesome pegasus, Rainbow. It has to be."

The two kissed, Twilight pulling away just enough to whisper, "I love you so much, Rainbow." She leaned back in to nuzzle her cheek against Rainbow's, adding, "I w-was, a-and still am such an... awkward, unattractive mess; but you Rainbow... you never cease in finding ways to make me feel so... wanted—like I'm the most beautiful mare in the city."

Rainbow grinned, holding a hoof of hers up slightly to refute. "Two things, Twi. One, you really are anything but unattractive, though... you are a bit—or, a lot awkward. That much is kinda true." Her grin became a meek smile as she stared up at Twilight. To her surprise however, Twilight simply let out a short laugh in response.

"The... the second thing is," continued Rainbow as her laughter slowly died down; "I... wouldn't be a very good girlfriend if I didn—"

Twilight took her by surprise as she dove in for a second kiss, the feeling of a tear hitting her cheek surprising Rainbow more than the kiss itself. She shrugged it off however, her heart fluttering on the inside as she kissed Twilight back with an equal amount of passion.

The sudden, scattering sound of papers hitting the ground interrupted them. Twilight looked to the sound first, curious for a second before her smile slipped, and a look of sheer panic overcame her.

She scrambled to her hooves much to Rainbow's annoyance as she nearly trampled over her. Her heart now beating frantically and face beet red, she stood rigid, grinning tensely. "I t-thought you were out with Moon Dancer?"

Spike shook his head, snapping out of his stupor. "I... I was, but we decided it was getting late, for the both of us." He raised a claw, pointing it back at her. "How long have the two of you...?"

Twilight gulped, beginning to feel a little sick as she looked over her shoulder at Rainbow who was now on her side, returning her gaze.

Twilight bit her lip as she turned back ahead reluctantly, letting out a sheepish chuckle and shrinking back as she asked, "Would you be angry if I said months?"

Spike didn't say anything as he simply blinked once, dumbfounded... before sighing, picking up his things and walking off.

"Look, Spike," began Twilight, following after him hurriedly as he walked down the stairs to their rooms. "Neither of us meant to keep this from you! Honest!"

"Believe us, Spike," Rainbow chimed in, hovering behind Twilight. "I mean, you know how she can be."

Rainbow rolled her eyes, crossing her forelegs. "Oh come on," she insisted. "You just admitted you know how you act a few minutes ago!"

"Hmph." Twilight stuck her muzzle up, turning back to Spike as the dragon raised his hands, wordlessly asking them to relax.

"Guys, guys... No arguing... alright? I... I don't know, I just... I need some time to think about all this, and your bickering's not exactly helping any..."

Rainbow and Twilight looked at one another—their ears folding against their heads—before gazing away regretfully, Twilight running a hoof along her other foreleg apprehensively.

"Well... gee, Spike, I..." Rainbow shrugged, bringing a hoof to the back of her head. "It never lasts for more than a few moments. I mean, since the cat's out of the bag anyway... We love each other, Spike. It's like, impossible for us to stay mad at each other for any longer than that."

"Love—" Spike's gaze fell. "—right..." He gripped his other arm, looking back up at them apprehensively. "Have you told anyone else?"

Twilight's ears perked up, and she turned back to him. "S-several ponies," she stuttered in admittance, sheepishly adding, "The majority of the city might be aware of it as well."

Spike's eyes widened. "The entire...?" He threw his arms out at her. "How did I not know about this?"

"Urgh..." Spike's head fell into the palm of his hand, his head shaking once in disbelief.

Twilight bit her lip, searching for the right words as she took a step closer to him. "If it's any consolation, Spike... This won't change a thing between us." She wrapped a foreleg over his shoulder, pulling him into a surprise hug. "You're as much a friend to me as Rainbow is," she said, her chin resting upon his opposite shoulder. "We just..." Her eyes glanced away, thinking back. "Do different things together is all."

Spike cracked a slight smile at that. "Yeah, I... can imagine." He shook his head again, pushing away from her as gently as he could. "Twilight, I'm sorry, but... really, we... we're not friends like you and Rainbow are. I mean, for crying out loud, when she wasn't around for a day, you nearly fell into a depression!"

Rainbow's brow lifted in surprise at hearing that for the first time. "You did?" she asked, peering down at her only to see that Twilight herself seemed taken aback as well.

Spike's eyes averted as he murmured, "Guess I now know why you were in such a rut..."

"I... didn't want you to know, Rainbow," Twilight confessed, looking back over her shoulder, but not at her directly. "I didn't want to worry you, or make you feel bad over leaving me, I just, well... Y-you left me hanging high and dry, Rainbow." She locked eyes with her, staring up exasperatedly. "You kissed me and ran, leaving me with so many thoughts and questions, just as I was starting to fall in love with you, that I... I-I don't know..."

She scuffled one of her hooves on the stairs, tearing her gaze away to the ground.

Rainbow's face turned wry, setting down a couple steps above her as her ears started to droop. "Gee, I... never meant to leave you hanging, Twi, I... was just trying to cheer you up."

"W-well... hey, in a way, I guess you sort of did. You let me know how you felt about me."

She chuckled as a small smile returned to adorn Rainbow's lips before turning back to Spike. "And so did you, Spike. Cheer me up, I mean. You pushed me to get up, and do something about it."

"I'm happy I could make you happy, Twilight. I just..." Spike turned away, disheartened. "I wish I could be more to you than just a shoulder to cry on."

"You are, Spike," she insisted, raising her hoof a little out towards him. "I really depend on you."

"That's not true Spike, I..." Twilight glanced away, rubbing a hoof along her other foreleg anxiously. "I..."

"Right..." Spike scratched the back of his head. "I like to think we're all friends, Twilight. In fact, I know we are, I just..." He turned once more with a sigh, stepping foot into his room. "I wish I could be as important a friend to you as Rainbow is." He sat up on the edge of his bed, softly adding, "Friendship just... doesn't hold a candle to love though, I guess," before rolling onto his side, facing away from them.

Twilight gulped, his words cutting deeper than any knife, and causing her heart to slowly ache as her breaths began to quiver. She blinked a few times, turning and reluctantly stepping out of the room, back onto the stairwell.

Rainbow immediately stepped back a few stairs, giving the heartbroken unicorn some space to breath.

"W-well... that's a friendship lesson, I... I suppose." Her ears sagging, she wiped her eyes with a foreleg, sniffling loudly before turning to Rainbow with a hopeless look.

Rainbow wasted no time welcoming her into her forelegs, Twilight sniffling some more. "If... if only I felt happy about him learning it." She bit her lip, tightly scrunching her eyelids together. "Oh, Rainbow... t-this has all gone wrong, hasn't it?" Rainbow stroked the back of her mane, nuzzling her soft head of hair. "This... t-this should be a joyous time. I mean, we're engaged now, for Celestia's sake..."

"I know, Twi," Rainbow replied, her voice gentle. "Why don't we get some sleep?"

Twilight froze for a second, before peering up at her with misty eyes. "S-sleep?" she questioned. "Wuh... why?"

"Well... It's late, and... maybe we're all just a little exhausted. Spike's probably just not in the right state of mind, and I'm thinking we'll all feel a lot better in the morning. You can talk things out more with him, show him he really does mean as much to you as I do, and," Rainbow continued, stretching out the syllable, "we could begin planning out our future together—the three of us." She smiled warmly down at Twilight.

Twilight let out a brief chuckle at the notion, giving her a thankful smile in return. "That's... not a half-bad plan," she said, glancing away as she raised her right hoof, taking a moment to rub one of her eyes dry.

Some hours later—after a long night of celebrations throughout the rest of the city at long last began to die down—sunlight streamed in through their bedroom curtains, warming their bed's comforter. The light lit up both their bed and their faces, their muzzles both scrunching up a little.

Rainbow came to first, rolling onto her back and letting out a pleasant sigh as she arched her back, her eyelids flickering open.

Twilight woke up with a groan, her eyelids creaking open, and her mane a slight mess.

Rainbow heard her girlfriend's groan, and noticing her body shuffling from out of the corner of her eye, rolled onto her side to greet her new fiancée.

Twilight frowned, shaking her head softly against the pillow. "Not too well... It... feels like I have a headache."

"Oh..." Rainbow's ears fell flat, and she glanced away. "I... I-I'm Sorry, Twi..."

Twilight's heart swelled at the sight, despite the grogginess she felt right then.

"It's probably just the weather." She smiled reassuringly, leaning forward to kiss Rainbow's lips. "It'll pass."

The two climbed out of bed, Rainbow taking a moment to stretch out her forelegs and hind legs.

Twilight set a hoof of hers on the bedside table to steady herself as she breathed in, her head still pounding lightly. That cider must have affected me more than I thought, she mused. Some herbal tea would probably work wonders. Not to mention, taste pretty good right about now...

She smiled at the thought, looking back to where her girlfriend stood on the opposite side of their bed.

"Why don't I go see if Spike would be willing to make us something?" she suggested, grabbing Rainbow's attention. "Me some tea, you some hot..." Her ears and gaze fell as the memory . "Hot..."

"Twilight?" Rainbow questioned, brow furrowing in concern... when it dawned on her. Right, she... mentioned Spike... She put the thought aside, springing into action. "Come on," she exclaimed, gliding over and setting down beside her, placing a foreleg around her. "Why don't we go see him?"

The two climbed the stairs outside their room, reaching Spike's room in a matter of moments... only to end up finding it empty.

Twilight's brow lifted in panic. "Spike?" she called out into the room, then turned, and called out over the stairwell, her voice echoing throughout the tower. "Spike!"

Her pupils shrunk, and she fell back on her haunches, feeling her heart sink sickeningly in her chest.

"Twilight..." Rainbow lifted her hoof slightly, wanting nothing more than to console her. Her own expression saddened, and she ultimately tore her gaze away to the upper floor. "I'll find him, Twi," she promised, spreading her wings to take flight. "Don't worry."

"Wait..." Moon Dancer's jaw snapped shut, and she adjusted her glasses as they began to slip from her muzzle at the news. "You've been out here... how long again, Spike?"

"It hasn't been that long, Moon. Just a few hours before sunrise, so... if you're worried about me catching a cold, don't be." He shrugged, sitting slumped, contemplative, and staring down absently at nothing but the snow under his feet. "I just... I don't know, needed to get away for a bit?"

"Why, Spike?" Moon Dancer took a seat beside him. "You and Twilight are like brother and sister." She froze, then scrambled to reiterate. "Like, I said. Not genetically or anything, obviously." A sheepish bout of laughter followed suit.

Spike let out a breath, paying little mind to what she had said. "Moon, did... did you know that she and Rainbow are dating?"

Moon Dancer shut herself up quickly, understanding now what the problem was. "Oh. I see. She finally decided to tell you, and it sort of weirded you out a little, huh?" Spike looked up at her for the first time with a look of pure disbelief, one that immediately made her feel a little guilty.

"Or Twilight didn't tell you, and ..." She brought a hoof to the back of her neck and gazed away. "Oh boy—"

"You too?" Moon Dancer flinched at Spike's outburst. "Moon...! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well...! Yeah, but... urgh, I don't know!" He sighed and slouched back in defeat, letting both his shoulders and gaze sink. "I... I just feel like, used—like they're taking advantage of my trust or something."

Moon Dancer reached out to him, her hoof curling a bit in hesitation before coming to rest on his right shoulder. "You know that's not true..."

Spike shook his head, letting out another breath and shrugging her hoof off. "I mean, I just..." He fumbled for the right words, quickly finding himself at a loss.

"She loves you, Spike," Moon Dancer pressed, then stopped for a second. "M-maybe not as much as she loves Rainbow, but, ah, well... C'mon; you can't say she doesn't care about you as much as she does Rainbow."

Spike glanced away. "She didn't care enough to just be honest with me," he murmured bitterly.

"She gets anxious, Spike; you know that." Spike rolled his eyes, nodding a little begrudgingly. "Rainbow really gave her quite the confidence boost."

"I just don't see why I never did," he murmured. "I mean... it's like, I had no affect on her."

"Friends may not be as important to some as lovers, Spike, but... believe me, I know you've had an affect on her."

"You sound just like my lab partner," Moon Dancer mused before dismissing the thought, returning to the topic at hoof.

"Spike... you do realize that... friendship isn't all that much to begin with, don't you? I-I mean, it can be pretty awesome and all, but I think you're exaggerating its importance. Having a friend is just basically having a buddy to waste time with, and confide your troubles in—sort of like we're doing right now come to think of it," she slowly realized, drifting back off into thought. "It's nothing compared to the tempting, intimate touch of another..."

Moon Dancer caught herself too late, quickly raising her hooves in defense. "N-not that I would know!" Another sheepish laugh followed as one of her hooves rubbed the back of her neck.

Spike turned to her with a coy expression, raising an eyebrow. "Don't tell me that you're a hopeless romantic, Moon."

"Me?" She blinked, taken aback as she lowered her hooves. "Nah, I'm just theorizing is all... b-but more so to the point! As Twilight's friend, you should just... be there for her, and support her—as she supports you, Spike." Spike bit the bottom corner of his lip, returning his gaze down to his twiddling claws. "Being a friend is really just about making the other happy, and wanting them to be happy. I can sure tell you that resenting what she and Rainbow have isn't making her any happier."

"But what if she doesn't?" Moon Dancer asked in rebuttal. "Spike... Twilight doesn't deserve this. Only, if she, say, suddenly abandoned you or... disappeared without a trace, then maybe I could see that as a cause for alarm. Why, I-I'm pretty sure that I'd turn into a bitter and resentful recluse or something if that happened to me." She couldn't help herself, and let out a soft bout of laughter at the very idea. "But, it's like I said: a pony like Twilight would never do something like that." She smiled over at him with confidence. "Her or you, for that matter."

He grinned gingerly, returning her smile for a second before it fell from his face... his gaze became a little anxious. "Can I... be honest with you, Moon?" His gaze fell further, down to her hooves. "I... really think that might be my worst nightmare actually. Twilight abandoning me..."

"Then don't risk what the two of you already have, Spike." Spike felt her hoof reach out and touch his cheek, before sliding beneath his chin, raising his gaze. "Nothing in life is the way we'd like it to be, Spike. We kind of just take what we can get—like your relationship with Twilight. It'll never be perfect, but... I believe she really does value you as much as she values Rainbow, just in different ways."

Spike sighed, shutting his eyelids tightly. "Celestia, you're so right, Moon." His head fell into his hands. "Urgh, I'm such a bonehead..."

"There there, Spike," she said, running a hoof down the spikes on his head. "You're not dumb, you were just... I dunno, overwhelmed?" She shrugged her shoulders. "In either case, I think you should go see her."

Spike shook his head, his face remaining buried in his hands. "If it's all the same to you, Moon, I... would like to stay with you a little longer."

Spike sighed, lifting his head to turn and look at her. "I just... really value every second we spend together. We never get a whole lot of time together—not often anyways... s-so, y'know." He cracked a weary smile.

"O-oh, um...! Okay, well, we can talk for an extra few minutes, Spike... but you really should be heading back."

His smile fell, and he solemnly turned back ahead. "I know," he replied. "I know, I just..."

"Spike... by any chance are...? A-are you jealous of Twilight's relationship with Rainbow?" Her question caused his eyes to widen and a blush to break out across his face as he grew a little rigid, turning to her inquisitively. "Because I'm getting the impression your friendship with her isn't the only issue here."

Spike's gaze returned to his lap, to his twiddling claws. "I... don't think I am," he replied, thinking over the possibility. "I don't know... Do you think I am, Moon?"

Moon Dancer adjusted her glasses as she looked off with a slight, teasing smile.

"Well..." she began, "if I didn't know any better, Spike—" She scooted a little closer to whisper the next part in his ear teasingly, only to have inched a little too far. bumping her flank against his hip. Their eyes immediately met at the touch of her fur on his scales, Spike's startled gaze meeting her flustered one, and she instantly smiled, stuttering as she returned to the question at hoof.

Spike grinned, pushing past the increasing awkwardness between them and instead teasing her back.

Moon Dancer's eyelids lowered, her voice becoming a little sultry. "Well obviously," she replied, and before either of them knew it, they were softly laughing among themselves.

Moon Dancer stopped giggling, her expression turning a little sour. "So it's the mane that makes the mare for you, huh Mister?" she accused, pointing a hoof into his chest.

Spike gulped, his pupils darting back and fourth and lips curving into a nervous smile as he fumbled for his answer.

Moon Dancer chuckled, setting a hoof on his arm. "I'm just messing with you, Spike," she assured him.

Spike breathed out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank—" He froze, realizing Moon Dancer was still sat beside him. "I knew that," he remarked, saving face.

Moon Dancer chuckled some more as she collected her composure. "So, um... what do you look for in a girl, Spike?"

"Honestly, Moon? I dunno," he replied, shrugging as he frowned in thought. "I've never really given romance much thought. I mean... it isn't like I'm not open to it, it just... doesn't really seem to interest me..."

"Yeah... I hear you, Spike. I mean, science, magic, and like... the joys of geekdom are the only things I've ever loved—and I'm proud of it! Well that, and my friends of course," she added as she corrected herself, shrinking back while bearing a meek smile.

"Whew," Spike breathed out, pretending to be in relief. "You had me worried me there for a sec." He grinned over at her.

Moon Dancer looked back at him, amused. "It's true though, Spike. You guys are like, a part of what gives my life meaning."

"Aww, Spike... You're like, my best friend too." Moon Dancer wrapped a foreleg around him, pulling him into a hug.

Spike chuckled, nestled in her embrace. "Maybe we're too good of friends," he murmured in thought. "Twilight sometimes teases me, telling me that I have a crush on you."

Moon Dancer blinked, leaning back as she stared back at him stunned, her glasses beginning to slip.

"Um... I, uh... You're a very pretty mare, Moon, I just..." He sighed, shying his gaze away. "We're too good of friends, you know?"

Moon Dancer's surprised expression became one of understanding as she nodded in agreement. "I guess it would be like dating a friend of the family... and if it's any consolation, Spike, you're a very handsome dragon yourself. Especially now that you've, ah... grown; b-but I could never ruin what we already have." Moon Dancer chuckled stiffly, and Spike rolled his eyes at her, unable to help but smile.

A passing shadow took him by surprise, causing him to jump if only because of its familiar shape.

He glanced up and swallowed nervously as he observed the dark outline of a pegasus. Rainbow... he silently dreaded, feeling his skin grow cold. From what he could tell, she seemed to have noticed him as well, as she made a sudden u-turn, gliding in his and Moon Dancer's direction.

Moon Dancer lifted her brow in surprise, turning to look up at the sky. "Really?" she asked. "Where is—?"

Spike partly raised a hand of his, drawing her attention back to him. "S-she's uh, gonna want me to head back with her probably... but um, before she drags me back! Wanna hang out again sometime soon?"

Moon Dancer beamed in delight at the idea. "I would love to, Spike! We could totally use a day to ourselves, and hey, we could—! Could..."

Her ear twitched and she glanced to her left, catching wind of Rainbow as she swooped down and landed stylishly a couple feet from them.

"Oh, Rainbow, hey!" she greeted her, smiling. "Nothing much. Hey, uh... Mind if I borrow Spike for a few more quick seconds?"

"Cool, cool, so um... Yeah." Moon Dancer's attention returned to him. "So... next time we hang out, wanna grab something at Hay Burger, and watch Mane Hero 6 or something? You... never got the chance to see it, right?"

"Y-yeah, that... was a couple years ago, so no. Twilight always had me working around the clock back then." He chuckled nervously, averting his eyes.

"But uh, yeah!" Spike exclaimed sheepishly. "Sounds good! So, how about tomorrow?"

Spike nodded in turn, stepping down from the bench and turning halfway, waving goodbye one last time before running on over to his other friend.

"Rainbow!" he greeted awkwardly as he came to stand before her. "H-hey, I, um..."

"What was that all—? O-oh, um... Moon Dancer and me just had a heart-to-heart, or... something... a-and! She, uh... made me realize something..." Spike scuffed a foot through the snow as he paused for a moment. "I'm... just gonna come out and say that I'm, uh, sorry for uh... y'know." His shoulders deflated and his gaze sunk to the snow. "I know Twilight doesn't love me the same way that she loves you, but, um, that... doesn't mean that she doesn't love me."

He shut his eyes and apprehensively grew a little tense, bracing for a scolding that never came.

Instead, Rainbow wrapped a foreleg of hers around him, pulling him in for a gentle, semi-awkward, and... strangely reassuring, makeshift embrace.

"You know, Spike... Twi was pretty upset when you walked off earlier. It took a lot for her to just... fall asleep, and the sight of me has only done so much to lift her spirits. I mean, she's happy about the engagement and all, she's just... beating herself up over the fact that it lead to you catching... you know."

"I know you didn't mean to, Spike." Rainbow pulled back to look up at his brokenhearted expression. "Nopony ever means to when they goof up, believe me..." She put the thought aside, smiling up at him kindly. "Why don't we go see her, and you can tell her what you've learned."

Spike's eyes slowly widened and he sniffled, nodding in agreement. "A-alright..."

He smiled back at her as Rainbow took a couple steps back, swerving around and staring back at him from over her shoulder. "Climb on."

Spike looked at her wryly before shrugging, taking a seat on her back, and wrapping his arms securely over her shoulders.

They arrived home in a matter of moments, finding Twilight seated down below in the dining room... slouched over the table and staring with a heartbroken gaze into a cup of tea.

She peered up, spotting Rainbow in the archway with her head raised, using it to give Spike's back a light push, nudging him a couple steps towards her.

Spike himself rubbed one of his elbows as he looked down at her. "Look... Twilight, I—"

Twilight ran the remaining distance and embraced him—a little tightly for his liking, but at the same time... relief washed over him.

"I'm sorry," Spike uttered, being the first to break the silence between them. "I had such an... overblown sense of what friendship should be, that... I didn't think to value what I already had." He grinned sheepishly. "Guess I've been feeling a little greedy."

"It's okay, Spike," Twilight assured him in a murmur. "I don't blame you for wanting more. Really, I should have told you months ago, making you feel like more a part of our lives."

"Speaking of..." Spike pulled back from out of their embrace, turning to look down at her questioningly... Twilight reluctantly letting him go. "The two of you really are, uhm... tying the knot, huh?"

"O-oh, um..." Her ears stood up intently, caught off guard by the question. "W-we would like to, Spike." She nodded and smiled shyly... before her resolve weakened and she leaned closer, asking, "Tying the knot means getting married, right? I'm not really 'hip' with figures of speech like that."

Rainbow rolled her eyes, walking up beside them. "Yes, Twi, that's exactly what it means."

"By just being here for us, Spike," she told him, bearing a warm smile. "That's all you need to do."

"Oh, I was already prepared to do that, Twilight." He grinned down at her soflty. "Anything else?"

"Really? Because I don't mind continuing to cook for you guys, I mean... I could totally provide the catering for you—" He gasped as the idea struck him. "I could host your bachelor party!"

Rainbow and Twilight blinked at the same time, exchanging looks of confusion with one another.

"What?" Spike looked between the two, beginning to fret. "Did I say something wrong? I mean, bachelor parties are something you have at weddings, right?"

"Yes, Spike, they are. Though... I think what you mean to say is bachelorette party," Twilight corrected, to which he stared blankly at her for a seconds before mouthing a silent "Oh," in understanding.

"So," Twilight began, seated on the sofa in the downstairs loft, a book held open within her magical aura as she overlooked her two closest friends. Rainbow and Spike themselves sat comfortably by the crackling fire, looking up at her, and wondering just what was so important that she had called them together like this. "I was flipping through Snowed In—"

Rainbow cut her off with a startling groan. "Again? Twi, can't we just be done with that lame book already?" she asked, laying out her hooves beseechingly.

Twilight narrowed her eyes at her fiancée, clearly unamused. "One: it's not lame, and two! It's still Winter, so... we could use some more ideas."

Rainbow rolled her eyes, throwing her hooves up into the air. "We haven't had any trouble coming up with ideas for the past couple of weeks!"

"Guys, guys..." Spike held up his hands a little, asking them both to calm down as he turned to Rainbow, giving her a serious look. "If Twilight wants to go by the book... I say we let her."

Rainbow snorted, glancing over at Spike, then up at her fiancée, raising an eyebrow. "You winged it during our snowball fight," she remarked irritably.

"Well, I admit our fight may have been a bit impromptu," agreed Twilight with a sigh, "but... I, I like order, Rainbow. Besides," she clarified, "I'm referencing this book to find things that we can do, not explanations on how to do them."

"Okay, okay." She smiled warily, giving in to her fiancée's reasoning. "Fine. We'll use the book for ideas... but no doing anything by the book. Deal?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Oh, very well, Rainbow," she agreed, smiling back at her softly.

Rainbow beamed, victorious, pumping her hoof into the air before turning to Spike excitedly.

"Oh, sure," he replied nonchalantly, then leaned in closer to her as he whispered, "You know I hate how persnickety she can be sometimes."

Rainbow grinned, Twilight cocking her head questioningly at their little back and forth.

"Well, ah, a-anyways!" Rainbow said, switching back to the topic at hoof, and turning back to address her girlfriend. "Anything in that book stand out to you?"

"O-oh, um..." Twilight snapped out of her thoughts, hurriedly flipping through several pages with her magic. "Yes!"

She pointed her hoof at the specific page as she held the book out towards them. "It's called hooveskey."

Twilight flipped the book back around, and scanned the page. "It's a game we play on the ice, wearing skates, with nets, and goalies and... a puck we must get into the other player's net," she read aloud.

Rainbow pursed her lips in thought, folding her forelegs in contemplation. "It... doesn't ring a bell, so I guess it's not exactly common up in Cloudsdale, or in Ponyville—or I'm just not remembering correctly," she supposed as she smiled meekly, raising a hoof to the back of her head. "But what the hay, I'm game. It sounds kind of fun."

"I'll say," Spike chimed in. "Though... what about a fourth player?" He glanced between the two concernedly. "I mean, if the two of you play each other... who's gonna be our other goalie?"

Twilight and Rainbow looked to one another for an answer, realizing they hadn't even considered Spike's question.

"Gee, Spike, I... I'm not..." Twilight's voice drifted off for a moment before the answer suddenly dawned on her, and she smiled. Across from her, she noticed her girlfriend's face light up as well, and assumed she had thought the very same thing.

"S-so," Moon Dancer stammered out, clumsily adjusting her goalie mask. She straightened up, attempting to stand her ground on the slippery ice, skates on her hooves. "You guys really couldn't have found anypony else a little bit more, uhm, articulate, to play with you?"

The four were set up not far from the Ivory Tower, on the iced-over river that ran close to Twilight's favorite outdoor spot in the sun.

A couple nets had been conjured up by Twilight herself, made to last the duration of however long their game lasted.

"Oh we could have," Rainbow called back from further down the ice; "but we figured they'd all be busy. Like, busy busy. I mean, no offense, but like... all you do is study, and... you can totally take a break from studying, right?"

"I mean, just look at Twi!" Rainbow motioned towards her girlfriend. "She's taken, like... months off of studying to have fun with me and Spike! Not to mention date yours truly."

All three of her friends narrowed their eyes at her, unamused, and she slowly retracted her hoof, letting out a nervous laugh.

"To be fair, Rainbow," Twilight spoke up. "Princess Celestia did say I should take some time off, and that we pretty much are on vacation."

Rainbow sighed. "I know, I know, I..." She let both her head and shoulders droop, her gaze peering apologetically over at her girlfriend. "I was only trying to make a point, Twi."

Twilight nodded much to her surprise, softly smiling back at her in understanding.

"W-well," Moon Dancer cut in, "I'm not opposed to playing, if it means helping my friends out. I mean, I could no doubt use the exercise anyway." She smiled between her three friends. "So... thanks for inviting me."

"And thank you for joining us," replied Twilight, rigidly skating up to her, a clear, tense look on her face; and in spite of her nerves, she attempted a smile.

Twilight averted her eyes as her ears folded against her head, and she nodded shyly.

"Well that's makes two of us. Still," Moon Dancer added with a sigh, "let's give it our best shot. For them."

Twilight glanced over her shoulder, then nodded, swallowing down the nervous lump in her throat.

She skated clumsily over to the center of the ice as Spike took his place opposite her before one of the goals. Her and Moon Dancer, versus Rainbow and Spike. We're playing to have fun, she reminded herself, not to win.

Her concentration was broken by her girlfriend circling around her with ease, wings outstretched at her sides.

"I dunno about you, Twi, but it looks like I'm already running circles around you," said Rainbow, then chuckled, unable to help but laugh at her own joke.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Yes, well..." She smiled smugly. "Let's see how well you do without those wings of yours keeping you balanced."

Rainbow's hooves skidded to a halt, and she stared at her fiancée incredulously. A profuse blush stained her cheeks.

"I-I don't need my wings, Twi," she swiftly defended. "The winter air just... feels good on them is all."

"Sure," Twilight teased, stretching out the syllable and riling up Rainbow further.

"Hmph." Rainbow folded her wings against her sweater, and for a second seemed to lose her footing.

"Three two one, go!" she exclaimed, and their skates clacked, locking the puck in place as their hooves made a move for it.

Twilight popped her head up from underneath the snowy bank by the river. She gave it a shake, snow flying everywhere as she blinked her eyes a few times.

Her astonished gaze looked beside her to where Rainbow lay in the snow beside her—softly catching her breath—then back at the icy river where their skate marks had torn up the ice completely. Shaved ice was visibly scattered all over its surface.

"Okay," she heard her girlfriend mutter; "maybe I'm not so good without my wings..."

Rainbow sighed, then smiled, staring up at the sky. "How come everything we try together is terrifyingly awesome?" She grinned just as Twilight turned to face her again, this time with an amused smile.

"I, I think we ended up knocking around each other more than the puck itself," she replied with a slight laugh, feeling herself already starting to lighten up.

Rainbow laughed as well before sitting up and giving her own head a quick shake.

"H-hey, well... maybe this wasn't such a bust after all. And hey, speaking of... I just remembered." She turned her attention to the ice, to where Moon Dancer and Spike still stood by their goals, staring back at them worriedly.

"We're fine, Spike," Rainbow replied. "But hey! Did the puck make it into either of our goals?"

Moon Dancer and Spike both blinked in surprise, turning to look at one another. Is that what they care about? Well, I suppose they weren't hurt, and they really are both so competitive, thought Moon Dancer. I think I got shivers watching them slip around on the ice like that, but... in the end, they seemed to get a kick out of it. Well, she supposed with a lukewarm smile, I guess as long as they had fun... I did too.

She watched as Spike timidly scratched the back of his head, before lifting a puck in his other hand for the two mares to see.

"Aw, man..." Rainbow stared back in defeat, before collapsing back in the snow. "We lost...?"

A growing grin parted her lips. "Woohoo!" She sprung to her hooves, pumping her hoof down by her side. I mean, I know it doesn't matter, she thought, but still... "I beat Rainbow at a sport!"

Rainbow nodded slowly. "Yeah, yeah, Twi... You did." She sighed, then smiled in defeat up at her girlfriend's excitement. Even though we weren't so much playing as we were struggling to skate...

"Yes!" Twilight exclaimed in hushed excitement as she directed her attention back towards the ice.

"Moon Dancer! Can you believe it? We, we won!" she called out to the other unicorn as she, without thinking, foolishly ran out to her. "We—w-whoa!"

She braced herself as her friend—screaming out "No," over and over in panic, her hooves flailing against the ice to grab any sort of traction... came barreling into her.

Rainbow and Spike stared worriedly at the collision before exchanging quick, fearful looks with one another.

Twilight grinned anxiously, shrinking back a bit as Moon Dancer snorted... rolling her eyes back at her.

Twilight hummed a jolly holiday tune as she sculpted another block of snow, setting it atop a wall of other brick-like blocks. One of four walls, connecting to form one impressive snow fort—or snow castle, as she preferred.

Rainbow came down from the clouds, carrying more snow in her forelegs for her girlfriend to sculpt.

Spike meanwhile, carefully carved blocks of ice from the river with his fire breath into windows, carrying them underarm to the first floor.

They were impractical, and you could hardly see through them, but... they were just for show, to make it look as much like a real castle as they possibly could.

The corners had been sculpted to look like columns straight out of Cloudsdale, and large castle doors had been sculpted to appear wide open, leading into an open space, a regal set of stairs leading higher—like Canterlot's own castle.

"Hey, no problem," Rainbow replied, setting the fresh snow atop the wall, and returning the smile with a sly one of her own. "Princess."

"What?" Rainbow asked playfully. "You said you wanted to build a castle for our snow fort idea, so naturally, that makes you a princess. I mean, only princesses live in castles, am I right?"

Twilight shook her head, already easing up from her fiancée's little joke. "Servants live in them too, Rainbow, don't forget."

"So..." Twilight's lips trembled, holding back a laugh. "I guess since I'm the princess, that makes you the servant."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Very funny, Twi," she replied, sounding exasperated before smiling back at her coyly.

"Now, fetch me more snow, servant!" Twilight ordered, smiling. "The ceiling and chandelier aren't going to finish themselves!"

"So I really am sorry about your glasses, Moon Dancer," Twilight remarked for the hundredth time as she trotted beside her down the midday thoroughfare.

"Mmhm," Moon Dancer replied nonchalantly, though Twilight swore she could still hear a twinge of annoyance in her friend's voice.

Moon Dancer frowned in concern before asking, "Are you alright?" She reached out, placing a hoof on Twilight's shoulder and preventing her friend from taking another step. "If you don't believe me about my glasses, it really is okay. It's just a hairline fracture along the bridge—nothing a little masking tape can't fix."

Moon Dancer laughed softly, but Twilight remained unconvinced that it wasn't her fault... that what had happened wasn't worse than she perceived it to be.

"Hey, it's what happens when you play the most dangerous game, and none of us know how to..."

Moon Dancer cocked her head curiously, noticing as her friend chuckled under her breath.

"I like the literary pun," Twilight explained, catching her friend's wondrous expression from out of the corner of her eye. "Though... our game was nothing like that one."

"Seriously though, Twilight," Moon Dancer continued from where she had left off; "I knew the risks, and I still chose to play with you guys. Plus, I'm... still in one piece, right?"

"You know, I... Rainbow, she's... asked me to lighten up... Repeatedly, in fact..." Twilight sniffled, shaking her head. "Oh, I'm sorry, Moon Dancer." She turned away in frustration. "I just worry so much sometimes about driving my friends away, and I just thought—!"

"Oh, Twilight... We're better friends than that. I mean, I wouldn't have agreed to come walk with you if I were mad at you."

Twilight sniffled again, before looking back over at her with a thankful smile. "I suppose you wouldn't have."

"So... did you bring me out here just to apologize, or did you have something planned?"

"Is it another sport?" Moon Dancer pressed. "If it is, I guess I'm game. The girls are always asking me to join in on their hoofball game, so... I could use the exercise, you know?"

"Oh, um... N-no, no it's... not, it's..." Twilight took a deep breath, taking a moment to collect herself. "I, I-I thought we could do something a little less demanding together, like make alicorns in the snow and just... talk."

"Okay, so... basically," Moon Dancer clarified, making sure she understood, "you want to hang out... while waving our forelegs back and forth in the snow?"

"A-and!" Twilight added hastily. "Maybe if we're lucky... catch a couple snowflakes on our tongues?" She shied away, explaining, "I just really want to try it all this winter."

Moon Dancer stared back at her for a moment before shrugging. "Eh, what the hay," she said. "Sounds relaxing."

Twilight looked back at her in disbelief, a smile slowly spreading across her face.

She ran ahead to the nearest snowbank, and threw herself down in it. Sitting up, she grinned at Moon Dancer, silently asking her what she was waiting for.

Moon Dancer smiled and shook her head before running up to join her in the snow.

"Sorry," Twilight explained, staring up at the sky once Moon Dancer was comfortably seated beside her. "I just... I'm just trying to make up for... basically not having a fillyhood, you know? After what happened to your glasses, I was so distraught, I... suggested to Rainbow and Spike that we build a snow fort. Well that snow fort quickly ended up becoming a snow castle. It's not finished yet, but..." She grinned as she peered over at her friend. "That's pretty childish, huh?"

"Oh, I don't know, Twilight. I mean, building a castle out of snow?" Moon Dancer chuckled. "That's actually pretty impressive. But I hear you: I didn't have much of a fillyhood either—er, well I did. I just spent it indoors."

Moon Dancer pursed her lips. "Sort of. I, I mean... my parents were always pushing me to study so it wasn't really all that fun at home."

"Really?" Twilight replied, genuinely surprised. "I always felt that my parents actually pushed for me to have a social life."

Moon Dancer snorted at that. "Lucky. Comic shops were like, my only escape. I'd go and... waste away the hours wishing that, that I could have these... amazing adventures where I'm saving ponies and stopping the bad guys, only to return to the meagerness of everyday life."

"That's why we read, isn't it? For the escapism—and to better ourselves of course."

"You know," she began, "I... always preferred learning from fiction, a-and from listening to other ponies. Like, when you read a book, or watch a film, you get a sense of the creator, what they believe... and you pick up on new ideals—new ways of thinking. It's more fun than a textbook—though I suppose those are good for learning more concrete things, rather than ideologies, and a better understanding of life... you know?"

"I do." Twilight gazed away with a soft nod. "I... also think textbooks are pretty alright," she added in a murmur.

Moon Dancer gave a small laugh. "I never said they weren't, Twilight—b-but it's fine if you think so! It's what sets us apart... makes us different. I, I mean... I couldn't tell you how many times my parents were like, you should be more like that overachiever, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight blinked. Over... achiever? she pondered, dumbfounded, before shaking the thought from her head, and looking over at her friend sorrowfully. "I'm sorry," she said. "I would have said you were fine the way you are if I had only known."

"Well, of course." Twilight formed a warm smile. "I don't see myself being better than anypony—well, except perhaps for the worst criminals in Equestria, I guess, but even then..." Her expression grew a little sheepish. "Like, even if I were... objectively better, I'm... still just a pony, l-like you!"

She breathed out shakily and turned back ahead, staring aimlessly at the street. "What right do I have to hold myself above another pony?" she asked herself, her voice softening. "I'm a citizen, like anypony else! I, I mean," she added with a nervous laugh; "I'm not Princess Celestia, for Celestia's sake!"

Moon Dancer smiled back at her friend understandingly after a moment, seeing how anxious she was getting.

"You're very humble, Twilight. I... I think that's always why I wanted to be your friend. I-I mean... I was jealous, and angry at first—because of the way everypony talked about you. So I believed you were the kind of pony to hold your muzzle up high and flaunt your intelligence... Only I came to realize that you weren't... conceited, but a pony, aiming for the stars. I just... really admired that about you..." She lifted a hoof from the snow reassuringly. "And I still do!"

Moon Dancer laughed a little awkwardly, feeling a sense of uneasiness begin to set in.

"W-wow, uhm... I don't know what to say..." A bashful smile overcame her face. "T-thank you, Moon Dancer."

Moon Dancer eased up, and returned the smile. "Think nothing of it, Twilight. I'm only speaking the truth."

A moment passed between them before Twilight asked in hushed excitement, "Wanna check on how our alicorns look?"

Twilight leaped up from her spot in the snow, and spun around, grinning down at the indent.

"It... kind of looks like our princess," noted Moon Dancer, peering over. "Celestia, I mean, not the pink one."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Her name is Cadance, Moon Dancer... but I agree. It does, kinda." She admired it for a moment longer before turning to look at her friend's. "How'd yours turn out?"

"Oh, Um..." Moon Dancer tore her attention away from her friend's snow alicorn, gazing down warily at her own. "It, uhm... looks like you."

She quickly masked her disappointment, and smiled back at Twilight, finding the whole thing a little funny. "If you had wings that is."

Twilight stared back at Moon Dancer as her lips began to tremble. "Y-yeah," she agreed, before breaking out into a soft fit of laughter.

Moon Dancer's smile turned lopsided at her friend's reaction, and couldn't help but join in her amusement.

Twilight cheered her girlfriend on, eagerly watching her from the tower balcony, stopwatch suspended in the brisk air before her.

Rainbow zoomed by, dashing through the many stratus clouds as she zigzagged from one to the next, forelegs outstretched before her. The wind whipped loudly in her ears, and out of each cloud came a burst of snow that pelted her in the face and assaulted her vision.

Still she prevailed through the roaring winds and poor visibility because, after all, she wouldn't be who she was... if she didn't enjoy a good challenge.

"Woohoo!" cheered Twilight. "Go, Rainbow! You can do this! You've totally got this!"

Twilight's cheers fell on deaf ears however, being drowned out by the loud sounds of the winter weather.

She kept it up for a single moment more, before turning, making a sudden beeline for the balcony below... landing expertly, and inches from her girlfriend.

Twilight herself jumped, bringing a hoof to her heart as Rainbow blinked her eyes several times, and shook the snow from her face and mane.

Twilight snapped back to reality, taking a brief glance at the suspended stopwatch.

She squinted, then looked in dismay at the time displayed... her ears folding against her mane.

"...Eleven seconds." She peered over at Rainbow reluctantly her girlfriend's face already bearing a look of disappointment. "Sorry, Rainbow."

"Tch..." Rainbow looked off angrily, stomping her hoof. "Man...! I'm never gonna get it under ten seconds, am I?"

"I believe you will," comforted Twilight, as she came up to her. "In fact I know you will."

The hope slowly returned to Rainbow's eyes as her girlfriend's words did a lot to lift her mood up out of her slump.

"Come, let's head back inside. We can try again some other time, but for now..." She drew her hoof back in order to rub her foreleg. "Let's focus on getting warmed up... It looks like there's more storm clouds rolling in anyway, and I would like to get inside before we get hit with the brunt of the storm..."

"Unicorns d-don't exactly have as t-thick of coats as pegasi, I mean... you guys are practically... b-born in the clouds, after all!"

Rainbow just gazed back at her sorrowfully, sporting a wry frown. "You should have told me, Twi, here."

She sprung into action, joining up at her side... and embracing her with her wing.

Twilight herself stifled a gasp as Rainbow drew her in, her head coming to rest against the pegasus's upper chest.

Rainbow looked down at her with a sly smile. "You need warming up?" She leaned her muzzle down, nuzzling the top of her head.

Twilight sat back on the window seat in the tower's foyer, a warm blanket strewn over her belly and hind legs as she stared at the blustery weather just outside, listening to the howling wind.

Rainbow sat beside her on the floor, on her haunches... her cheek resting comfortably on her folded forelegs, which were folded beside Twilight's head. Her gaze paralleled her girlfriend's as she too, stared lazily out at the weather.

"Some storm," Twilight mused, unflinching. "I mean, I know it wasn't your doing, but..."

"It's still nice to look at, and listen to," mentioned Rainbow, understanding what she was getting at. "It's both calming and exhilarating, I know."

She peered over at her fiancée from the corner of her eye. "You're not, I dunno... scared are you? Of being this high up, or say... the window breaking open any moment and sucking us both outside?"

Twilight raised an eyebrow at the oddly-specific scenario, then turned her head on its side to look Rainbow in the eyes. "I'd have you to catch me," she replied with a tender smile. "I feel so safe with you around."

That brought a smile to Rainbow's lips, and she averted her eyes as a blush stained her cheeks. "Yeah, well..." she trailed off bashfully. "I-it just stinks though that we can't play outside today."

"We have plenty of things that we can do inside, Rainbow," Twilight assured her, gazing back outside. She brought a piping hot mug of cocoa that she held in her magic to her lips. "We are sort of surrounded by books."

"Castle?" Twilight's eyes suddenly went wide. "Oh no, no no no no, I completely forgot!" She clonked one of her hooves against her forehead. "Man... I hope it's okay..."

Rainbow unfolded one of her forelegs, placing her hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "It should be. We built it to last, so..." She shrugged. "You know."

Twilight swallowed, and let out an uneasy breath as she leaned back into her seat. "Y-yeah..." She brought her cocoa back to her lips in her trembling hooves.

"It's been a while since I've seen Cadance... Hope she's doing okay—though, I guess that goes for all of our friends," Rainbow supposed, "not just her."

Twilight slowly reopened her eyes, mulling over what had caused the sharp pain for a brief moment before the mention of her old foalsitter shook the thought from her head entirely.

"I still haven't reconvened with her, after all this time... and yet, you've bumped into her twice! I don't know how you do it, Rainbow." Twilight shook her head, exasperated. "I feel like the only way I'm ever going to see her again is if I... march on down to the castle and demand to see her!"

"H-hey. Easy, Twi," said Rainbow. "She's just a busy pony; she told me herself."

She bit her lip and gazed around at the surroundings beside her in search of an answer.

Then it hit her, the sight of scrolls, parchment, and books everywhere sparking an idea.

"Write?" Twilight stared ahead of her, at a loss for words, and all of a sudden feeling so foolish. Then, an elated grin spread across her face as she turned to look at her girlfriend with a thankful expression. "Oh Rainbow, you're a genius! Why didn't I think of that?"

Rainbow shrugged nonchalantly. "Probably because you were so caught up in wanting to talk to her in person that... you never considered anything else was even possible."

"But hey! Writing to princesses is sort of your specialty! Plus, I'm sure she's in the same boat that we are. You know: bored, alone, staring out the window with hot chocolate in hoof... I bet she'd love to hear from you!"

"Come on," Rainbow pressed, "don't be like that. Here, don't move," she told her girlfriend as she sat up; "I'll go grab you some paper and a quill."

Twilight sighed, staring down into her cocoa and relishing in the warm, rising steam.

Maybe her old foalsitter wouldn't mind hearing from her on this, the most blustery of days.

Her ears perked at the sound of Rainbow coming back downstairs, carrying the supplies she needed in her hooves.

Twilight looked at her, and pointed out, a little incredulous, the one flaw in their plan.

"She lives at the castle, Twi. With Celestia, who can deliver the letter in hoof for us."

"Okay, but..." Twilight gazed away, uncertain. "I don't know how I feel about bugging the princess like this."

"She's your friend, Twilight. I'm positive she won't mind. Besides," she added, "doesn't the princess want you to make friends? I'm sure she'd be super stoked to see you reaching out to an old one!"

She makes a good point, thought Twilight, her resolve weakening. Oh, what the hay... A smile spread across her lips, and she took the paper and quill in her magic.

Hey, Cadance, or... Princess Cadance! I suppose I should address you by your proper title, shouldn't I? Should I...?

"Twi." Rainbow set a hoof over Twilight's right foreleg, grabbing her attention.

Twilight gulped, and let out a shaky breath. "Y-you're r-right, Rainbow. I... always worry about being too informal, but... she's my friend."

"Right..." Twilight turned back to the letter in her grasp, lifting the tip of her quill to resume where she had left off. "Okay..."

Well, I suppose it doesn't matter in this case, because if you haven't guessed already, it's me! Twilight! Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle, you know, remember? It's been a while; a long while actually... but I've wanted to talk to you again ever since you talked to Rainbow all those months ago. She's here with me by the way, coaching me through all this, hehe.

"To convey the tone of the sentence, Rainbow," she chided plainly, then turned to resume work on the letter.

Well, we figured, because of the storm, that we'd write to you—if you don't mind! If you're not busy, we mean. I mean, we figured you'd be in a similar situation as us, so—

"Hm?" Twilight blinked, and pulled back a bit, re-reading what she had written with a critical eye. "Well what do you know... Let me just fix that."

If you're looking for somepony to talk to... we're available! We for one, would love to talk, so... I guess I'll start by asking... how are you? And how was Hearth's Warming? Not too hectic I hope! Receive any nice gifts?

"Those are probably enough questions for now," Rainbow cut in, and as she advised her, Twilight stopped writing. "Don't overwhelm her, you know? She might not even write back—because of her duties of course, not because of you or anything."

Rainbow smiled jokingly up at her, and she rolled her eyes in response, smiling in amusement.

"So... I'll just go ahead and sign this then," she decided, scratching the paper with her quill as she etched in a few, final words.

Your friends, Twilight and Rainbow!

"So," Rainbow said with a sigh, just as her fiancée finished up the letter. "Now we just need—"

Rainbow flinched, Twilight's call for him echoing throughout the tower... and soon her call was met with a series of footsteps as they hurried up the stairwell.

"You called, Twilight?" Spike asked questioningly as he reached the top of the stairs.

Twilight gazed back at him, about to respond... when she considered the less-than-thrilled tone of Rainbow's voice... and her ears flopped ashamedly.

She had called for him, never stopping to even think what he may have been doing prior...

I'll have to treat him to something special this week, she thought, smiling softly. But first... "Thank you for walking all the way up here, Spike. I was just... filled with so much excitement that I... yelled out your name without considering what you might be up to, and... It was inconsiderate of me."

Rainbow's eyes blinked, then widened a bit upon hearing her girlfriend's apology. A slow, amazed smile began to spread across her lips.

"Well, I... G-gee, Twilight, you know I'd do anything for you. We're friends after all."

"I know, Spike. I just..." Twilight paused, then met his wowed stare with a warm smile. "I just wanted you to know."

A moment went by before Spike snapped out of his stupor, returning to the matter at hoof. "S-so, uh... what uh, did you want me for?"

"And I just happen to have the breath for the job!" Spike declared proudly, walking over. "What's the destination?"

"Well... therein lies the problem. It's a letter for Cadance, but..." Twilight gazed away, embarrassed. "We don't know where exactly in Canterlot Castle she lives, so... we figured you could just send it to Princess Celestia, and have her deliver it."

"So... Princess Celestia's chambers?" Twilight nodded softly as he took the rolled piece of parchment from her. "That's no problem, Twilight."

He smiled reassuringly before blowing the letter away in a flume of flames. "Now we play the waiting game," he supposed, turning back to face her.

Twilight's shoulders slumped, a groan leaving her lips. "I hate the waiting game..."

"Well, I... suppose I should grab a seat up here then, huh?" Spike said as another moment passed in silence, deciding it would be more convenient than making several trips up and down the stairs.

So the three of them waited for minutes on end, lounging around and chatting with one another, when Spike felt something begin to bubble up from deep inside him.

He let out a belch, along with a burst of fire and a letter, which fell listlessly to the ground.

She let out the tiniest squeal, and snatched up the letter in her magic, making quick work of the ribbon around its middle.

Rainbow and Spike both peered on curiously as Twilight unraveled the letter, and gasped breathlessly at the wording.

Well isn't this a surprise! I wasn't expecting to hear from you, Twilight. Today of all days especially... but I'm happy that you and Rainbow chose to nevertheless! It's really made my day to hear from my favorite filly, er, well, I... guess you're not a filly anymore, haha. Gee... I'm not really sure how to approach this, it's been so long... I told your brother all those months ago that I wouldn't know what to say to you if I saw you, since you've grown so much. Guess that still holds true... though, I mean it when I say I'm happy to hear from you again, after all this time! When my aunt knocked on my door, telling me a letter had come for me from a certain Twilight Sparkle... I didn't know what to think, but I just knew I was smiling all the same.

Anyhow... I was a little bummed out by the weather, but having you two to talk to has already put me in a much better mood! Hearth's Warming was anything but hectic for me. It's... really one of the few times I can escape my duties as princess and just... enjoy life, you know?

Twilight smiled at the small frown Cadance had scribbled at the end of her sentence.

And yes, I did receive some lovely gifts. One of which was this truly beautiful necklace, with a silver, heart-shaped pendant. Your brother bought it for me, and... I'll just always treasure it.

And, if I'm not mistaken... I'm not the only one who got jewelry from a loved one—

The question tore Twilight's attention away from Cadance's letter, and she instead turned with a goofy smile towards the eager faces of her friends, focusing on Rainbow in particular.

"She's asking about the gift you gave me," she explained, bringing a hoof to her girlfriend's feather, and the gemstones it hung from. "Though, somehow... I think she already knows about it."

Rainbow felt herself blush. "Yeah, she... When I ran into her that day, she... may have been there when I bought it."

Twilight, in turn, rolled her eyes playfully at her fiancée's sheepish confession, before turning her attention towards Spike, who sat comfortably... staring outside at the roaring blizzard.

"Spike?" she called out to him, the dragon turning his head, and lifting his brow in response. "More parchment, please?"

"Oh, um..." He glanced up at the floor above, before lifting himself up off the floor. "Sure thing, Twilight."

She let out a breath to calm herself, then looked down again at Rainbow. "Can you believe it?" she asked in hushed excitement. "We're talking again, after all this time..."

Rainbow laughed softly. "So I heard," she replied, peering up at her and forming a sincere smile. "I really am happy for you, Twi."

"It's you I owe though," Twilight insisted. "You pushed me to write to her, so... thank you."

"I figured I'd bring a stack with me, if you end up writing back and forth to one another."

The surprise on Twilight's face lifted, and she eased up, thanking him with an appreciative smile.

You're right, and I know you already know, but... Rainbow did indeed buy me a beautiful, custom-made earring to hang her feather from. The stones sparkle, shimmer, and just... glimmer so radiantly in the sunlight, like the stars in the night, or the rainbows after a storm, it's just... breathtaking. Like, I can see into them, and reflect back on all the times we've shared, and the pony I've become thanks to her friendship. I know it'll sound crazy, but I sense this sort of... spark, when I think about it—like she's more important to me than I even realize.

Anyhoo... I noticed you used the term, 'loved one.' Does that mean you finally confessed to my brother? I mean, I don't mean to pry, I just... Remember when I was a filly, and you wanted my help in calculating your odds with him? Well, I guess I'm wondering if anything ever came of that, since I was too absorbed in my books back then to ask, hehe...

But if you're not in a relationship with my brother, that's okay too! I just... oh wow, I'm sorry. I just thought that... you two would make a really nice couple.

I hope she understands... Twilight swallowed nervously, frowning wryly before calling out to Spike, "I have another letter."

"So what did this one say?" Rainbow asked, then went on to explain, "You were holding it sort of close to yourself... Couldn't have peeked at it if I tried."

Spike whisked Twilight's letter away in a puff of green flame as she replied, "I asked about her love life... and if she was in a relationship with my brother."

"Because, Rainbow. She referred to my brother as a 'loved one,' and... I remember her having a crush on him." Twilight gazed off, smiling fondly as she reminisced on the memory. "I think they would be... cute together, I guess."

"Huh..." Rainbow nodded softly, her mind wandering back to that day in the store. "Twilight... I, um..." Rainbow bit her lip, unsure how to tell her girlfriend. "Cadance was kind of acting all lovey-dovey with this stallion that Hearth's Warming Eve. His name was... Shining-something, I think." Her ears flopped, and looked up at her with a sorry look. "Sorry, Twi..."

To her surprise however, Twilight snorted, then started giggling a little uncontrollably.

"Shining... S-Shining Armor is, is my brother, Rainbow," she sputtered out between laughs.

Twilight nodded, her laughter quickly dying down. "S-sorry, Rainbow. I know I told you I had a brother, but I should have told you more, like his name, or what he looked like... I mean, I told you what Starswirl the Bearded looked like for crying out loud, but not my own brother..."

"No no, it's... it's okay, Twi! It just slipped your mind, or wasn't of note, I guess. I just can't believe he is your brother... I mean—"

Twilight smiled at that. "We're both very ambitious though, I mean—we both work hard, and we're both playing parts in making Equestria a safer place. Really, the similarities become apparent if you're around him long enough. He's not entirely a jock though, you know. In fact..." Twilight leaned in closer. "He plays Ogres and Oubliettes."

"It is not, guys," Spike cut in suddenly, a little irritably. "I mean, you've never even played it."

Twilight and Rainbow exchanged surprised glances with one another, Twilight deciding on being the first to speak up.

"Yeah, I... meet up with Moon Dancer every week, and we play it late into the nigh..." Spike stopped, feeling something familiar begin to swell up inside him.

"Huh, well... Alright, Spike." Twilight shrugged. "I guess we'll just have to play a game together sometime. The three of us, that is."

"The three of us?" Rainbow silently mouthed, looking up at her with a crushed look.

"Yes, Rainbow," she replied with an air of determination. "We're going to give our friends' game a chance—!"

"Her letter!" exclaimed Twilight, scooping it up within her magic. "I guess I'm not really all that anxious about her response though... Now that I know she is together with Shining, and I didn't just embarrass myself. Still... Knowing kinda takes away the suspense of what she wrote..."

Twilight's eyes lit up. "As a matter of fact I did... I, I wrote to her about that, uhm... spark I get, whenever I'm with you."

"Oh, right..." Rainbow nodded in understanding before smiling teasingly. "That weird feeling."

"It isn't weird, Rainbow," Twilight was quick to refute. "It's like, a feeling that tells me... I'll never have to face anything alone. That I'll always have you to catch me when I fall."

"I think they call that friendship," joked Rainbow. "Or us being engaged to one another."

"I know, Twi... and I'm serious when I say that..." She leaned up onto her hind legs, and deeply nuzzled her fiancée's cheek. "I'll never leave you hanging."

Blood rushed to Twilight's face, warming her cheeks as Rainbow pulled away, leaving her smiling like a fool.

"But hey! That feeling you get is definitely something to read into, and even write about," she proposed, sitting back down.

"You're right," Twilight uttered, slowly coming back to reality. She returned to the letter in her hooves, and began undoing the ribbon with renewed excitement.

Don't be sorry, Twilight, because you're not wrong. Your brother and I have been going steady for... some time now. I know neither of us ever told you, and we're sorry, but... we knew you hated to be interrupted and enjoyed solitude, and plus I... wasn't even sure if I was 'in your life,' so to speak. Thanks again for your help with him, by the way, and... I'm so relieved to know that you're still okay with... you know, your brother and me.

You know... I have a feeling he might even propose to me soon, but only time will tell. It's amazing to think though that we'd be sisters-in-law!

Also, I've heard Aunt Celestia mention a spark before. I think it has to do with true friendships, or something along those lines; but I just know that if anypony can figure out the feeling... it's you, Twilight.

So... anyway. I've told you about my relationship. How are things going with you and Rainbow? Any details I should know about?

I really am happy for the two of you, by the way.

Twilight snorted in laughter. Any details? she thought. Where to even begin...?

Twilight lowered the letter from her face and turned to face them. "I think we might be writing to another for awhile." Her ears flopped, and she chuckled shyly. "You two don't mind... do you?"

Rainbow shook her head. "I'm just enjoying sitting here with you and watching," she replied.

"And there's a reason why I brought so much paper with me, remember?" Spike chimed in with a half smile.

Twilight stared back at them, switching between them as a smile of her own vastly grew.

Rainbow grinned as she brought more snow to her girlfriend who laid on her back, leisurely sculpting the ceiling of their castle.

Spike worked around the outside and first story, cleaning away the snow that had blown their way from the storm the day before. A little flumes of fire here and there, and the snow melted away into water.

"I could only ask for the two of you, Rainbow," Twilight replied sweetly, recreating The Starry Night out of the snow ceiling.

"Impressive," Rainbow mused, following Twilight's gaze. "I had no idea my fiancée was such an artist."

"I'm not that much of one, Rainbow; I just... have an eye for detail, and an appreciation for art." She shrugged simply. "Really, it's easy once you've studied the techniques of these artists for as long as I have."

"Ah, you're right, you're right..." Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck. "My bad. Guess I forgot you were an egghead."

Twilight cracked a soft grin. "Now there's a name I haven't heard in a while."

"Exactly!" Rainbow exclaimed, taking a seat beside her. "See my point? You've become so much less of an egghead this winter, and... it's really kind of awesome, I mean... You've, like, really stepped out of your comfort zone."

"And I have you to thank for that," Twilight said, turning to look at her. Rainbow's expression, in turn, softened into a warm smile.

"You've gotten me to step away from always... following instructions, and instead... to trust my instincts. To just... wing it, so to speak. And don't even get me started on what you did for Cadance and me."

Twilight however, remained serious. "You are, Rainbow, and don't let anypony tell you otherwise."

Rainbow looked back at her, her face growing more solemn. "I'll... do my best," she promised after a moment of hesitation, averting her eyes.

"I gotta admit, snow is pretty cushioning; but I think we could do with some furniture. Sculpted outta snow, you know? What do you think?"

"Beanbag chairs?" Rainbow put forth. "A couple sofas? Or, hey... what about..." She rolled onto her side, perching herself up on a foreleg. "A throne! Since, you know, we are sort of building a castle." She grinned down at Twilight.

"So... I'm just saying," Moon Dancer began, as she exited the theater alongside Spike, Rainbow, and Twilight, "why give Godragon the ability to shoot laser beams outta the dorsal fins on his back? Like, okay, I get it: he's a byproduct of ponykind negligence, but..." She shook her head incredulously. "It's like in International Mare of Mystery. Remember, Spike? The whole 'wanting to give sharks laser beams' thing? Like, he's practically already a shark, y'know? Laser beams are just overkill, I M O. Er, no, scratch that. Not I M O—stone-cold facts."

"Overkill, yes," Spike agreed, "but also kinda awesome." He glanced back disappointingly at his own dorsal plates. "Wish I could do that..."

"Well... you're already able to breath fire, Spike, so... don't be greedy, you know?"

"Well, I, uhm... enjoyed the political and social satire," noted Twilight, adding her two cents to the conversation. "The ability of these movies to show the sometimes-negative repercussions of Equestrian militarization on smaller races and cultures, and their own inability to sometimes deal with the fallout of crises that occur in their own countries. Not every country can be Equestria, after all; or have a leader as perfect as Princess Celestia."

"Mhm," Rainbow sided with her with a nod of her head, "and speaking of... Lowering the sun to lower the solar radiation levels in Godragon? Pretty smart thinking."

"Agreed, but that was totally science fiction, Rainbow. Nopony other than the princess can lower our sun."

Moon Dancer smiled, watching their back and forth. "Listen to you two," she remarked. "Bickering, and being all egghead-like... Totes adorbs!"

Twilight and Rainbow blinked, sharing a look of confusion with one another before turning back to their friend, cocking their heads. "Adorbs...?" they questioned softly.

"So, what do the two of you have planned for Hearts and Hooves Day anyway?" she asked, carrying on from where she had left off. "It is the day after tomorrow, after all."

"O-oh! Uh..." Their eyes collectively widened, Rainbow looking off shyly... bringing a hoof to the back of her neck anxiously.

Rainbow shrugged sheepishly, attempting to explain as she did, "It actually sorta slipped my mind... but, um..."

"It's a good thing that you have me to remember for you then, Rainbow," said Twilight, speaking up. She stepped over to stand beside her fiancée, leaning in closer to nuzzle her sweetly.

"I do have a little something on my mind... if Rainbow will be up for it, anyway."

"You know I hate the fancy places, Rainbow. I mean, we eat at a doughnut cafe twice a week." Rainbow breathed out in relief, then smiled at the joke. "No I was thinking about appreciating... the simpler things with you, this Hearts and Hooves Day."

"Which are...?" Moon Dancer urged her to spill the details, but Twilight stood firm.

"M-mm," she said, pulling away from Rainbow. "Our plans are strictly confidential."

"Apparently," Rainbow agreed, "so confidential that even I don't know what they are."

Spike chuckled, then replied, "Well I hope the two of you have fun with... whatever it is you have planned."

"I hope so too, Spike," Twilight mumbled softly, before then redirecting the question back at both him and Moon Dancer.

"What will you two be doing? Since I take it you'll both be hanging out together."

"What will we be doing?" Moon Dancer repeated, exchanging a quick look with Spike before smiling proudly. "Well, we just so happened to have picked up advance tickets to the all-new, upcoming Ponypool film!" She bumped hooves with one of Spike's fists while pumping the air once with the other. She grinned, directing her gaze back towards Rainbow and Twilight, her cheeks relinquishing a small squee. "We're sort of in a film-binging mood."

Twilight and Rainbow stared back at them for a moment before rolling their eyes, smiling nevertheless.

Twilight called out her fiancée's name over and over again into the wide field of trees that she knew Rainbow was in charge of.

She cantered carefully through the tall, snow-covered grass, passing by several trees... until the sight of several different colors, mixed in with leaves, and dangling from a particular tree branch caught her eye.

She came over to the tree that Rainbow's tail hung down from with a questioning stare.

Sure enough, she could make out a body as well, sprawled out on one of the tree's many branches.

Twilight touched the base of her hoof against the trunk of the tree, glancing up again at the pegasus she loved, and mulling over her options.

Raising her hooves high above her head, Twilight wrapped them as far around the body of the tree as she could manage in an attempt to hoist herself up... only to fall flat on her rump a few seconds later.

She reappeared with a bit of a stumble on top of the tree branch and up against the trunk of the tree itself—shaking loose a few dead leaves as the bright flash of magic snapped Rainbow out of her nap.

Her fiancée came into focus, and slowly, a soft smile grew in place of her frown.

Twilight gulped, glancing up from the ground and at Rainbow instead. "H-hey, Sleepyhead." She leaned back a little more comfortably against the tree's trunk, and smiled sheepishly in return. "I wasn't aware that pegasi slept in trees."

"Neither was I. I sat down here for a quick lunch break with April... Guess I dosed off." Her eyes glanced away, noticing the position of the sun in the sky. "For a while apparently..." She sighed, turning back to Twilight. "April's a fellow co-worker by the way. You met her on Hearth's Warming Eve."

"Right, right," Twilight recalled, a little distastefully. "The... mint-green pony." A few moments passed between them in silence, the two of them staring at each other awkwardly. Twilight's hooves fidgeted. "I... I don't sound jealous, do I?" she asked, a little anxiously. "I'm not or anything, I mean... y-you know I'm not, right?"

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Right," she assured her. Still a little groggy, she then asked, "So... what brings you up here?"

Twilight however, found herself just a bit taken aback by her girlfriend's tone.

"Hmph," she snorted playfully, glancing away. "Well if you're going to use that tone, then I think I won't tell you."

"No, no," she pleaded, "I—ah jeez, I, I didn't mean..." Her shoulders fell, and she looked up at her with apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry, Twi. Please tell me?"

Twilight's lips pursed, and she kept her gaze tilted away for a moment longer before glancing back at the mare out of the corner of her eye, throwing her act out the window, and breaking out into a huge grin. "Six words," she exclaimed in a hushed tone. "Starswirl the Bearded. Exhibition. Science museum."

"Uh..." Taken aback, Rainbow cocked her head, giving her a funny look. "Have fun?"

Twilight groaned, giving Rainbow's foreleg a playful push. "No, silly! It's later this evening and I'm asking you to accompany me. Rosette Nebula is even going to be there—she's my favorite astrophysicist—and I'd like you to be there with me when I meet her."

Rainbow mouthed a silent, "Oh," then grinned teasingly. "You have the weirdest concept of what a date should be."

Before Twilight could narrow her eyes, Rainbow added, "As long as we don't have to get all gussied up."

Twilight's ears perked up. "We, we don't," she stammered, a big, trembling smile forming on her lips as she threw her forelegs around Rainbow's shoulders.

She nuzzled her girlfriend's cheek tenderly, making it grow all the warmer as blood rushed to it.

"N-no problem, Twi. After all," she said, stammering slightly, "w-what kinda wife will I be if I'm not always there for you when you need me to be?"

"And you spoil both me and Spike, so... we're spoiled—even! I meant even! Urgh..." Rainbow blinked away the grogginess in her eyes, and gave her head a quick shake as Twilight pulled away—staring at her coyly, her hooves resting on her shoulders.

"Something like that," Rainbow laughed in response. "What do you say we climb down from here, maybe grab some dinner on the way?"

"You know I was just thinking the same thing," Twilight remarked, looking back at her in slight awe.

"Well, you know what they say about great minds." Rainbow formed a lopsided smile.

She turned her attention back to the ground, when it dawned on her that... she had no wings.

Her breath caught in the back of her throat, and her heart sunk into the pit of her stomach as her whole body tensed up. "Uhm..."

She turned to Rainbow again, shakily... this time with a sheepish smile. "Think you could help a girl down?"

Rainbow rolled her eyes, leaning forward and placing both her hooves at her fiancée's sides before hoisting her gently into the air, then softly setting her hooves back upon the ground.

"Much," Twilight replied with a relieved smile, and with that, the two took off for the nearest diner.

"So... I was thinking a couple apple danishes, and hot cider myself." Twilight looked over at Rainbow. "You?"

"I-I agreed to come with you, didn't I, Twi? At least let it be tolerable for me."

"Tell you what," said Twilight after a moment, leaning in to nuzzle her neck. "You stay sober for me tonight, and..." She shied away, smiling softly at the thought. "I'll treat you... to the time of your life tomorrow—since it is Hearts and Hooves Day, after all," she noted, pulling away.

"Right, right... I remember," replied Rainbow, before stopping to consider the proposal. "Mm... well, I have to admit, Twilight Sparkle... you drive a hard bargain, but you've made me real curious with all this 'strictly confidential' business... So, the time of my life, huh?" Rainbow grinned, looking over at her. "And what exactly does that entail?"

Twilight's heart rate increased, but she remained steadfast. "Nuh-uh," she denied. "I'm not saying a word until tomorrow."

She followed up by giving Rainbow a coy look, Rainbow herself dropping her shoulders in defeat.

"Well... I'll say this much, Rainbow." Twilight leaned in again, this time nuzzling the fur of her cheek. "It's been... agonizing, waiting this long, and lying next to you every night, being... too scared to make a move, or even... discuss the possibility with you! Thinking we're too young, or... moving too fast, but I don't care about that anymore. I'm willing, Rainbow... a-and I hope you are too, because, I just... can't think of a better time to share this moment with you than tomorrow, and..."

She sighed, smiling a dreamy smile. "I really hope it'll be as special for you as it'll be for me."

Rainbow stared ahead, mulling over what her girlfriend was getting at... when it occurred to her.

"Oh, I get it..." Her eyes lit up in realization, turning her head a smidgen to look into her girlfriend's eyes. "You got us passes to Do Con, didn't you? Aw, Twi... I've been hearing about that for a while now, and it's still like, a month away, but... I'm so glad you're down with going!" She turned and happily threw her forelegs around her fiancée's shoulders, giving her a tight squeeze as she nuzzled her lovingly. "You're the best!"

She let go of Twilight, pulling back with an elated grin... only to find her staring back at her stupefied.

Twilight pushed Rainbow back upon her forelegs, and up against the door as it slammed behind them in a purple glow, feverishly pressing her lips against hers. Her hooves resting on her shoulders, Rainbow's lips parted for Twilight, and pressed deeper into hers.

They broke apart, breathless... their cheeks stained red, and bodies burning up. Twilight bit her bottom lip before burying her muzzle in her fiancée's fur, and gingerly planting slow kisses from Rainbow's cheek, down her neck, across her shoulder...

"So much better than Daring Do..." Rainbow breathed out. "And so totally worth the wait..."

Twilight smiled, turning to kiss her chin before realigning their gazes with one another, and delving in to get another taste of her lips.

They fell back onto their bed, parting for a moment to better adjust themselves.

Rainbow's head came to rest inches above Twilight's, and the unicorn felt her soft, short breaths upon her lips.

Twilight herself smiled nervously, excitement swelling in anticipation to the point where it made her feel a little sick... but still she brought her hooves up to caress the nape of her girlfriend's neck.

Rainbow shivered at the touch, and brought herself to smile back as her girlfriend's hooves left her neck, traveling further: along her shoulders, down her back...

Rainbow wasted no time in recapturing Twilight's lips as she leaned down, resting her body on top of hers... passion fueling her every move, with Twilight's heart beating a mile a minute against her chest.

Whether it was out of fear, or excitement... the realization made Rainbow break off the kiss, and gaze down at her in concern.

"Sure you wanna do this?" she asked in a whisper, then smiled, humored. "Your heart's beating like crazy..."

Twilight swallowed hard as she looked her girlfriend once over... then smiled slyly.

She briefly illuminated the room with her horn as she lit up Rainbow in her magic.

Twilight plopped Rainbow down beside her, and in one swift move, climbed on top of her, successfully pinning her to the bed.

She stared down at her fiancée triumphantly, Rainbow staring back at her dryly.

"Easy, tiger," she teased jokingly, to which Twilight rolled her eyes before diving in to snuggle the sweet spot beneath her lover's chin.

Rainbow couldn't form a response—she was mere putty in her girlfriend's hooves at this point.

Twilight smiled, trailing a hoof down her chest, then up again, simply relishing in the feel... and reminding herself that this was all indeed real.

That she had a pony who loved her, and that she was lying here with her, about to share something truly special with her...

It all felt so unreal, so unbelievable—like her life had become some... fairy-tale romance since meeting Rainbow, and this was her happy ending—

No, scratch that, she supposed. They still had a wedding to get through. This was just another cornerstone in their relationship, and... fairy-tales hardly ever had happy endings anyway...

Rainbow ran a hoof through Twilight's mane as her head continued to rest beneath her own, her muzzle nuzzling the underside of her chin.

Twilight pulled back just enough for Rainbow to no doubt see the dumb smile she had plastered on her face, before she surprised her with another kiss... Rainbow easing into it quickly as their mouths parted, and their lips sealed together.

Rainbow's forelegs wrapped themselves around Twilight's lower back, while Twilight's hooves draped themselves along her shoulders.

They slid down a little further, coming to caress her folded wings, and that's when Rainbow jumped—startled by the action. They broke apart—Twilight with a distasteful groan—as her girlfriend's wings sprang to life, standing tall at her sides.

Rainbow herself swallowed nervously, forcing a sheepish smile to her lips just as Twilight pulled back, switching between her wings with a dumbfounded expression.

"I've been trying to control it, but, well... what can I say? I have a really hot girlfriend."

Twilight's brow slowly lifted, finding it now her turn to break out into a deep blush.

"Mm, well... you sure know how to flatter a girl, Rainbow. If my voice, or my hooves... excite you, then..." Twilight lowered her cheek to her fiancée's upper chest, where she planted a nuzzle, then a kiss. She smirked, feeling Rainbow's heart beat faster, before working her way down her lover's body.

Twilight walked the bright, sun-filled streets, feeling rejuvenated and light on her hooves. She hummed a classic melody, and looked to the clear sky, giving a wave and a thankful smile to a rainbow streak as it whirled on by overhead, stopping briefly and waving back as it took note of her below, returning the smile with a grin of her own.

Twilight giggled, and, if only as a sign of her happiness, blew a kiss to the pegasus, who pretended to catch it before smiling again and taking off once more. Twilight watched as she disappeared into the distance before letting out a sigh and glancing down at the road, her entire body heating up as she smiled softly, enjoying the ticklish feeling of her hastened heart beats. She felt like she could burst into song at how happy and loved she felt, and hay! She thought about even the city folk joining in.

At the sound of her name being called, Twilight looked straight ahead, only to come face-to-face with another pony.

She stifled a shriek immediately as she took a couple steps back, taking in everything about this mysterious, mint-green unicorn mare.

The mystery mare grinned, sticking out her hoof for Twilight to shake, Twilight doing so apprehensively. "My name's Lyra, Lyra Heartstrings. I used to go to Celestia's school as well, remember?"

"Oh." Lyra looked down dejectedly, her ears falling flat against her head and cuing Twilight to try and make things right. "B-but I am happy to meet you again!" She scrambled to add, "It's always nice meeting fellow students."

Lyra's smile returned to her lips. "Ditto. Say..." she began, looking up at her again with a knowing look. "You look rather happy. I take it that's Rainbow's doing?"

"Oh, I've seen her around. When you hang out with Minuette and the girls, it's impossible not to hear them gossip about her." She paused, then held a hoof up reassuringly. "It's nothing bad though, it's just...! We don't get rainbows too often up here in Canterlot, so when you have an embodied one walking around, dating one of Canterlot's most prestigious minds, well... The girls all think it's pretty cute by the way, what the two of you have."

Twilight replied with a silent "Oh," in understanding, looking back fondly. "Well... it was more like she swooned me," she began to explain. "A lot of what she said to me caused me to blush, and smile and laugh... though in hindsight it may have been for the wrong reasons, but regardless... She... she never gave up on me. I mean, she was always so persistent... wanting to be my friend—and something more, unbeknownst to me at the time."

She looked back at Lyra, and was shocked to find her with a notepad and quill suspended in her magic, scribbling down a few words.

Lyra glanced up. "Should I not?" Before Twilight could answer, Lyra rolled her eyes. "Duh, of course I shouldn't! Just be yourself and say what's on your mind, right, Twilight?"

Twilight shook her head as she came forward, resting a hoof over her notepad, and looking at her with concern.

"Oh, well, ah, you see... A long time ago, when I was just a filly, I lived in Ponyville—i-it must've been before Rainbow moved there because I don't remember any rainbow-haired girls... Anyway! There was this really sweet filly that I hung out with a lot... She wore glasses and kind of had that whole 'lovable dork' thing going on."

Wonder if she'd mind attending our wedding, Twilight mused, accidentally zoning out as she listened. We could use more guests...

"It wasn't until years later though that I came to realize my feelings for her were more than simply platonic, but I could never work up the nerve to speak to her again after I transferred here with the other girls... But hearing about you and Rainbow sort of gave me the confidence to face her again, and maybe even try for something more!"

"Let me see if I have this straight... You need help winning over a fillyhood crush?"

"Correctamundo!" Lyra exclaimed, then meekly added, "That, and... rekindle my friendship with her. If anything, I'd just settle for that."

"Huh..." Twilight nodded softly, giving her predicament some thought. "Well, it's like you figured I'd say: just be yourself. I mean, the two of you were good friends, right? So I'm sure she'll just be happy to see you again."

"That's just it though!" Lyra exclaimed in dismay. "When I left with the others for Canterlot, I... may have left without ever saying goodbye to her..." Her ears fell as she raised a hoof behind her head, scratching it ashamedly.

"Seriously...?" Twilight uttered incredulously, her jaw slowly dropping in disbelief.

Lyra averted her eyes further, her expression saddening and causing Twilight to take into consideration this pony's possibly already-fragile state of mind. "Er, w-well... my point still stands." She smiled, taking on a more considerate tone. "If the two of you really were such good friends, then she'll understand, and... if she feels the same as you, I'm... sure she'll just be happy to see you again!"

Twilight beamed, grinning a little anxiously as she wrapped up. "Sorry if that's lame, I'm... still working on giving friendship advice to ponies who need it."

"Actually, that... may just have been exactly what I needed to hear, Twilight, thank you."

Twilight blinked, taken aback. "It was...?" She quickly shook her head. "Er, y-yeah, I mean... n-no problem."

She's such a silly pony, Lyra thought, giggling inwardly before saying goodbye.

She gave her a thankful smile in passing as she turned and began walking backwards briefly as she called out to her. "I gotta catch the next train to Ponyville before it leaves the station!"

Twilight waved goodbye to the unicorn as she turned and galloped down the road, before turning back ahead herself with a giddy smile present on her face... and a sudden, elated step in her stride.

"I know it's cliché of me to say this, but..." Rainbow swooped down, coming to hover before Twilight as she said, "You really brighten up my day, Rainbow."

Rainbow's face turned wry, before it broke out into a teasing smile. "Sap-py, Twi."

"Hey, I said it was cliché," Twilight insisted. "I knew exactly what I was saying."

"Well, okay... Maybe a little," Rainbow conceded, and flew down to peck Twilight's cheek.

The swift gesture warmed her to the bone—not that she was cold, what with her fur coat and there being next to no wind.

The feeling also stirred a memory from their time spent together on Hearts and Hooves Day.

A couple moments passed since the kiss, and Rainbow was now looking at her girlfriend funnily, not having gotten a single reaction out of her.

"You sorta zoned out..." Rainbow's eyes grew weary. "Is... something on your mind, Twi?"

"As a matter of fact... Yes," she replied with a sigh, walking forward... leaning up and draping her forelegs over the balcony railing.

"Really? Well... if you'd like to talk about it..." Rainbow walked up and leaned over the railing beside her, staring listlessly off at the city. "I'm right here."

"You always are." Twilight turned to her and smiled appreciatively. "Thank you."

Rainbow gazed over at her, returning the smile. "No problem. So," she asked, looking back ahead, "what's on your mind?"

"Well..." began Twilight tentatively. "It sort of stems from what we did together... the other day, on Hearts and Hooves..."

Rainbow blushed profusely, feeling her pulse quicken. "R-really...? Well... are you thinkin' you'd like to have another go? 'Cause, I mean... I'm up for it if you are—"

"No!" Twilight blurted out hastily, before realizing with what she had just insinuated. "Er, y-yes! I mean, just not... Agh!" Twilight grit her teeth. "Rainbow!"

"Sorry!" Rainbow lifted her hooves in defense slightly from their resting position, then looked over worriedly. "S-sorry. That was stupid of me to assume... A-as you were saying..."

Twilight snorted and looked off, still feeling a little flustered. "It's stupid."

"Twi," Rainbow pressed. "Tell me. Please, I, I don't care if it's stupid— I just want to help. Plus," she supposed, "if it really is stupid... at least we can have a good laugh about it."

"And I said that I ask myself that everyday..." Rainbow gave her a friendly nudge on the foreleg. "I meant that, by the way."

"It's just," she tried to articulate, beginning to feel a little foolish. "The thing is... Doesn't it ever scare you, how close we almost came to... never experiencing any of this? This life, this... relationship, this...!" She sighed, averting her eyes. "Happiness, between us..."

"Of course it scares me, Twi," she stressed. "Why wouldn't it? I just... try not to think about it, I mean... " She bit her lip, then threw her forelegs out, exasperated. "Our meeting was a total fluke, and... if I hadn't made the jump across several rooftops, and risked face-planting every single time, we wouldn't have met again."

Twilight smiled fondly at the memory. "You went through a lot to see me again, I know."

Rainbow shrugged. "Well, I did find you... kind of awesome, and I wasn't about to pass up something awesome." She looked over at her and winked, bearing a playful smile.

Twilight looked on ahead, nodding softly. "You know, they... say ponies enter our lives for a reason..."

"Exactly! So..." Rainbow's ears flopped, and her brow creased. "What's the problem, Twi?"

"I don't know, I just..." Twilight gave her head a little shake. "Now I can't stop fretting over all the different ways our lives could have gone..."

"Precisely, Rainbow. Alternate possibilities, or... realities... Like, one where you simply blacked out but never hit your head, or one where... you ended up in the company of somepony else, or one where you stayed in Ponyville!" Twilight's gaze fell, saddened as her voice softened considerably. "One where I never learned to put my faith in friendship..."

"So in other words," Rainbow replied, "the reality we're living in, is the best."

Twilight smiled and rolled her eyes, giving the pegasus a friendly nudge of her own in return.

Twilight giggled, turning away to look out idly upon the city, a smile still present on her lips.

"W-well," Rainbow said, regaining some composure, "I guess it is interesting to think about all the different ways this could've turned out... Hay," she supposed, "maybe somepony guaranteed that we'd end up together!"

Rainbow quickly shot down the proposal. "No, no, no. What I mean is, like... somepony traveled back in time, and altered things so that we would meet." Twilight raised an eyebrow, finding herself quickly amused by the sheer thought.

"Probably unintentionally though," Rainbow figured. "I mean..." She stared off with a saddened smile at the possibility. "They would had to have deliberately ruined my life, and made me want to run away, so..."

Twilight immediately stepped a little closer, raising her forelegs to wrap them over her girlfriend's shoulders... hoping to provide some comfort from her sudden, troubling thoughts.

"You've been reading a lot of H. G. Spells, haven't you?" she asked, adding in a bit of levity.

"They stood out to me," she replied coolly. "What? I can't read action-thrillers forever; I have to expand my horizons."

Twilight nuzzled her cheek against hers. "Mm... well, I suppose... So... what?" she asked, drawing back a bit. "You think we're living in an alternate timeline?" She smiled dubiously. "That's pretty far-fetched, Rainbow... and I'm the one who's into quantum sciences."

"Were you now?" Twilight teased, seeing right through her. "Well... regardless, that's a possibility I'd rather not think about. I mean, talk about scary. The idea that we're just some... byproduct of another reality, I mean... what would that even make us?"

"Well... we'd still be us," Rainbow supposed, looking off. "That much is true, and I think we should just enjoy knowing that—"

Twilight undid her hooves from around her girlfriend, setting them back on the floor as both she and Rainbow turned to face Spike, who stood in the archway.

"Oh, just..." Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck a little anxiously. "Being eggheads, talking about quantum theories... stuff like that," she explained, deciding it to be a good enough answer as any.

"Hm? Oh, right, well... I actually came up here to ask if you'd like to join in on a game of Ogres and Oubliettes, but if not that's—"

"Actually, Spike..." Twilight assured him with a smile. "That sounds perfect. Doesn't it, Rainbow?"

She peered over at her, half-expecting her to have a pure look of hesitation on her face.

"Eh... what the heck, why not. I think we could go for some fun to get our minds off... all that." Rainbow half-smiled back at her.

Twilight's brow lifted in slight surprise, a small grin slowly parting her lips. "Agreed," she said with an enthusiastic nod, before joining her two friends as they journeyed back inside.

Even if their world wasn't quite what they thought it was, she mused... That wasn't about to stop either of them from living it up... and spending every moment enjoying the life they've been gifted together.

Winds of the Past

by Fantasia

Days 130 - 178 - Friendship Lessons, Part 1